imitate
imitate — verb
1. to match the speech, movements, or actions of a person or thing, whether for lea
to match the speech, movements, or actions of a person or thing, whether for learning, entertainment, or achieving a similar look or sound.
Romi imitated her teacher's accent perfectly, making the whole class laugh.
imitate + accent / voice / style for humour or practice
Young children often imitate whatever they see their parents doing around the house.
imitate + whatever / how clause
The robot was programmed to imitate the movements of a real dog.
Chidi imitated the bird's song so well that other birds started to reply.
Sayaka decided to imitate her favourite singer's style for the school talent show.
- mimic
focuses on copying movements or speech closely, often for comedy or practice; 'imitate' is the broader, more neutral term
- copy
suggests producing an identical version; 'imitate' is more about recreating the style or appearance than an exact duplicate
- emulate
implies trying to match or surpass someone admired; more formal and goal-oriented than 'imitate'
- ape
negative tone; means to copy without understanding, like a mindless follower
- innovate
to create something new rather than copy what already exists
文法句型
imitate + noun phrase
imitate + how / whatever clause
用法筆記
Direct object is typically a person's accent, voice, style, behaviour, or movements. The verb can also take a clause beginning with 'how', 'whatever', or 'the way'.